Hello, I am a little confused regarding the different names used by the Cambodian communists leading up to the reveal in 1977 that they were in fact the Communist Party of Kampuchea. What confuses me is why or how this would have been such a secret. Even though the party referred to itself as “Angkar” for the first two years of its rule, were people not aware that Cambodia’s new rulers were the communists? Sorry if this is a silly question, I just think there might be an issue in the translation from Khmer to English of some of these names and concepts or a key detail I missed while reading.
Thank you!
Not a silly question at all.
Short answer, yes. People (the west, Cambodians, allies) knew that the new leaders of Cambodia were 'communists'. But the actual existence of the CPK and its leadership was an unknown quantity. The different names used to describe the movement reflect this.
I guess, to get straight to the point (and one you are probably aware of but its a good place to start) "Khmers Rouges" (Red Cambodians) was the term coined by Sihanouk to describe the growing communist movement in Cambodia. This term stuck and was collectively used to describe the movement from the outside. It's a catch all, and it has a certain je ne sais quoi, particularly to western ears, but its an easy to use phrase to call the entire movement in and out of the revolutionary years.
"Angkar Padevat", 'the revolutionary organisation', was what the Cambodian faction of the Indochinese Communist Party started referring to themselves as in the 1950's. Or just 'Angkar', which is what many people within Cambodia learned to call them once they became part of the liberated zones and indeed after 1975.
The Communist Party of Kampuchea, this was a secret organisation, the existence of the party was not on the constitution they drafted in 1976, nor was there mention of the marxist-leninist ideas that inspired the new nation. The party's first congress in 1960 was a secret, and it remained so as you said well into the party's time in power.
Now, to answer your question.
Yes, everyone knew that 'communists' had taken control of Cambodia. But not exactly who they were. Remember, the Cambodian communist movement grew out of the Vietnamese one, and after the coup against Sihanouk in 1970, he too joined a coalition (GRUNK) that was nominally the leaders of resistance against the Lon Nol regime. While the CPK were in control, they had a vested interest in keeping the structure and hierarchy of their party - even the name of it - a secret.
The translations of Angkar (sometimes coupled with loue or padevat) are usually just variations on 'the party', 'the organisation', 'the high organisation', or 'the revolutionary organisation', as we touched on these were all used by the party itself.
While all of the terms are, kind of, interchangeable, you usually wouldn't use the term 'Angkar' to describe the CPK without qualifying it slightly. For instance saying "the CPK, known simply as 'the organisation' or Angkar to many Cambodians during their time in power..." Rather than "Angkar were in power in Cambodia from 1975-1979".
I don't think its an issue with translation or something you are missing, as I said, it kind of depends on 'when' you are referring to the Cambodian communists, from what perspective, and how specific or general you are looking to be.